Facing racism

Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver, left) and Ron Stallworth (John David Washington)
team up to infiltrate a local Klan organization.

The new Spike Lee Joint, BlacKkKlansman, offers up the cold, hard truth about racism in the U.S.

In previous films, like Do the Right Thing, Lee used a sledgehammer to get his ideas across. But in this movie he employs the skill of a surgeon, using his scalpel to peel apart the layers of racism while also examining complex ideas of passing and code-switching.

The film is based on the true story of Ron Stallworth (John David Washington, Denzel’s son), the first black detective to serve on the police force in Colorado Springs. Stallworth and Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) work undercover together to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan.

Lee takes us back to the 1970s with large Afros, soul music, and clothing reminiscent of blaxploitation movies like Shaft and Coffy. For those of us born before the 1960s, this not-too-distant past seems familiar, even though it was almost 45 years ago.

But Lee also manages to bring a story from the past and make it relevant in the era of Trump.

By showing that the KKK was (and is) a membership organization with member dues, initiation ceremonies and regular meetings and social gatherings, Lee and his co-writers reveal what was happening behind the scenes. We see how the activities and ideology of the Klan affect people in the community, including “decent, upstanding citizens,” military personnel and police.

While much of the film has a situational comedy feel to it, BlacKkKlansman shows Lee’s maturity as a writer and film director — as he subtly takes people out of their comfort zones.

Without offering up spoilers, the final 10 minutes of this film convey the real toll of racism, bigotry and hatred in our country. It’s difficult to experience the images and underlying sentiments and not feel crushed by the reality of our current state of race relations.

In BlacKkKlansman, Spike Lee has created a masterpiece and a mirror to help us see the reality we are currently living under in 2018. It is also a call to action to fight for social justice.